There was heartbreak in London's West End on Wednesday when the cast of Tina the musical and a packed theatre of fans were stunned to tears by the news that music megastar Tina Turner had died at the age of 83.
A statement from the icon's family confirmed her passing, with it reading: "With her, the world loses a music legend and a role model."
Fans across the world were quick to react to the Simply the Best star's death but, in London, a whole audience of Tina Turner fans had no idea she had passed away, given that they had all been told their phones off, before the Tina performance at the Aldwych Theatre started around 7.30pm. It wasn't long before 8pm UK time, that Tina's death was announced, and, it was only when they checked their phones at the interval that they discovered the news.
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Among those in the theatre on Wednesday evening was Jarrow singer Abi Garrido, a life-long Tina Turner fan who has been left absolutely gutted by her death, having been inspired by the legend from a young age.
Abi told ChronicleLive that there was a state of shock inside the auditorium, with the cast all visibly moved as they returned to the stage to pay tribute and vow that they would go onto finish the show in a manner Tina would be proud off.
Abi explained: "The cast and crew came on after the interval and they were all crying. We were near the front so we could see how devastated they all were. The gasps in the audience - there were people who were screaming and crying, it was absolutely horrific.
"Christina Love who plays Tina said 'we're going to carry on with the second half as a cast and crew and we're going to celebrate her life. We know she'll be partying up in heaven right now, so we're going to all do this for her.'"
Abi added: "it was just so surreal, it just didn't feel real at that point. The second half was amazing; they were all putting their heart and soul into everything and then, at the end of the show, everybody was so upset in the final number."
On the influence Tina had on her career, which saw her appear on The X Factor in 2014, before going onto support music legends like Billy Ocean in front of huge audiences, Abi added: "I've been a massive fan of Tina Turner since I can remember. She is one of my biggest idols, I grew up listening to her. My family used to play her musical the time, I absolutely love her, she's amazing."
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